Local group begins weekly Grieving for Gaza vigils in downtown Decorah

By Zach Jensen,

Almost 45,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military forces since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel. This month, three Decorah friends — Melva Underbakke, Fred Bryant and Julie Fischer — have decided to raise local awareness about the issue by hosting a Grieving for Gaza vigil each Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Water Street Park in Decorah, adjacent to Oneota Food Co-op.

“I have a lot of Palestinian friends, and some of them have lost all of their family,” Underbakke said. “I’m from Decorah, but I used to live in Tampa, Florida, and there are a lot of Palestinians there, because Palestinians have been spread all over the world because of … ethnic cleansing. If you watch the news, how can you not be concerned about it? These are human beings, and 70 percent of those being killed are women and children.”

Full article available in the November 14 Decorah Leader.

Susan Herndon, Carolyn Corbin, Hailey Abbey, Melva Underbakke and Fred Bryant, all of Decorah, met at Water Street Park on Saturday for the first in a series of vigils the group plans to hold as a way to help spread awareness of what they feel is genocide in Gaza. (Photo by Zach Jensen)

“I have a lot of Palestinian friends, and some of them have lost all of their family."

– Melva Underbakke

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